Reinforced pneumatic tire.



. PATENTED APR. 21, 1908. H. D. B. LEPPERTS.

' REINFORGED vPNBUMATIG TIRE.

APPL'IGATION FILED MAR. 8, 1907.

attoanu f' UNITE-n sirirrEs PATEN on f HENRYD. B. LEFFERTs, oF EANGE, NEw JERSEY, AssIGNoR oF. oNE-HLF To ELIPHALET Y DE CAMP, OFNEWARK, NEW JERSEY. v

l REINFORCEDPNEUMATIG TIRE.

To all whomitmay concern: l

Be it known that I, HENRY D. B.` LEE- useful Improvements in Reinforced Pneumatic Tires, of which the-"following isa speciiication.

This invention relates to tires for automobiles and other vehiclesand has special reference to tires ofthe pneumatic or cushion type l 1 To this end the invention contemplates a utility `in its application to automobi es or similar vehicles, and Aembodying in its organization a reinforced andr protected outer tire lcasing. In this connection the invenof the outer casing of a' pneumatic tire in such a manner as to thoroughly reinforce the same throughout its entire circumferential sent no sharp edges at all to thehparts press-` ing thereagainst, thus entirely obviating theg -wear as frequently occurs -in thenon-reincutting ofthe tire as is the case with many types. of protected tiresyielding body'of the tire.

Another and distinctive object of the invention is to provide a resilient reinforcement for the tire casing, so constructed and arranged as to carry the reinforcement within the holding hooks at the base edges of the casing so as to stiifen these hooks against working out of the wheel rim after slight forced types of tire *casings Y A furtherobject is to rovide areinforce- 'ment of the character v only secures the results noted, butalso `acts .in the capacity of a non-puncturablef shield which protects the inner tube of the tire from being punctured. ff With these and many other objects in Specification of Letters Patent- Application led March 8, 1907. Serial No. 361,279.

J bo iment thereof is shown in l nying drawings, 1n whlchtreinforced pneumatic tlre, possessing s eclal tion has specially in yview the construction `the invention is speciallyap employing metal.` referring to this type of tire, t

shields presenting edges or openings tothe escribed `which not Patented April 21, 190s.

. view, whichV will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood,

the same consists in the novel construction,

combination, and arrangement of parts` hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed. v

The essential features of the invention inlvolved in carrying out the objects above indicated ,are necessarily susceptible to structural change Without departing from the sco e of the invention, but a preferred emthe accompa- 'Figure lis a central longitudinal sectional view of a portion of apneumatic tire embodying the resent invention Fig. 2 is a cross sectiona view thereof. -Fi 3 is a sectional perspective viewof the cy indrical steel reinforcement shell.

Like references designate corresponding j parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In' carrying out the resent invention, the same may be embodie of'pneuniatic tire employing outer and inner tubes, that is, an outer casing tube and an inner air tube; but in all embodiments there-v ofthe invention is in'tende'dto be associated in any approved type f with those types of pneumatic tires employ- 111g circumferentially split casings envelop-y ing the inner tube and provided at their edges with holding hooks designed to have an interlocking engrjtgement with the .retaining iianges of the wheel rim. Hence, for illustrative urposes thereis shown in the drawings a orm of pneumatic tire to which licable, and e same com:M prises in itsgeneral organization an outer tire casin designated in its entirety by the reference etter'C, and an vinner inflatable air tube 1, said.casing.and inner air tube being adapted to be arranged upon the wheel rim 3 having in the-face.y thereof a (.LircumferentiaL tire seat 4 provided at. its side edges with the inturned retaining flanges 5 with which are tire casing C in the'well known manner, as

v i will hereinafterbe further mentioned,

The distinctive feature ofthe. resent invention resides in the formation o tne outer .tire casing Cto provide a non-puncturable reinforcement therefor' throughout i its entireextent', both circumferentially and resilient cross sectionally, which reinforcement is car- V ried nite the holding hooks ofthe casing as adapted to interlock the holding hooks of the hereinafter pointed out. "he resilient rein- `forcement referred to is in the form of a -cross sectionally cylindrical steel sheii designated by the numeral and which in cross section is in the form of a divided or split cylinder', and in the direction of its length or circumferentially is co-extensivewith the body of the tire casing C so that said shell 6, when incorporated in the body of the casing as an vintegral and intimate part thereof, reinforces said casing from edge to edge and throughout its entire extent.

o shell 6 is imperforate throughout so as to present no openings'or cutting edges of any character-'to thermat'erial of the tire casing and at its circumferential side edges the said e shell is provided with what may be characber sheets which lare vulcanized together with the rest of the casing body the linal process of vulcanization, as is Well understood by those familiar With' the:y art,y but in connection with the inner' embedded 'steel shell 6, the canvas andrubber sheets l0 may berevfcrred to as the insid'elayers of 'the' casing, Y

and the sheets 11 as theoutsidej layers Tof the casing, the outermost of said outside layers .ing a backing for l 1 having vulcanized thereon the rubber surface sheet l2 Vuponfvvhich latter is also vulcanized the outer thick tread piece 13'.

ln connection with the foregoing-elements the present inventionlcontemplates incorporating' the steel reinforcement shell 6 into the tire body betweenthe inside and outside layers 1() and 11 of. the canvas and rubber sheets, and having the curled reinforcing beads 'Z of said shell arranged to lie Within and bear against the outer curved bearing seats formed in the cuter sides of the triangular .base rings 15, about Which rings are carried and vulcanized both the inner and outer 1aminae of the canvasand-rubber sheets 10 and By reason ofthis construction7 the base rings l5, which are made of hard rubber or eiii'ivalent material, are incorporated directly in the casing body at 'the base edges thereof and serveto materially stiffen and strengtl'ien these edges, While at the same time affordthe terminal edges of the reinforcement shell (i. Furthermore, it Will be observed that t l ne outside corners ofthe The said inner steel.'

seneca base" edges of the casing thc outer laminas l'l ofthe casing body are folded and rounded to produce the outer holding hooks 9 and are vulcanized Within and without the beads 7 and around the outwardly and upturned portions 8 so that the latter stiften and reinforce the holding hooks and thereby prevent the casing from blowing out as frequently occurs after slight Wear on the holding hooks, and When a poor grade of material has been used in the construction of the tire.

lt will be Well understood by those familiar with the -art that after building up the various parts of a tire upon or wi thin a mold into the form shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the casing as an entirety is subjected to thc vulcanizing process which intimately unites the various parts in the usual Way.

y From the foregoing it is thought that the construction and many advaiitages of the herein described tire casing will be readily apparent to those familiar with the art without further description.

l claim:

l. In a pneumatic tire, the tire casing provided Within its rim engaging portionsY with circumferential base rings, and an inside steel shell extending entirely about the 'casing body Within the same and having its tei'- ininals seated directly on one side of said base rings to provide a solid bearing for said terminals.

2. ln a tire of the class described, the outer tire casing provided at its rim engaging edges with circumferential base rings having bearing seats, and with holding hooks for engagenient with the Wheel rim, and a steel shell' cxtendin'g entirely about the casing body within the ,same and having curled reinforcing beads resting on said bearing seats and disosed within the projections forming said fielding hooks. y 3. In a tire lof the class described, the tire casing consisting of a laminated body provided at itsou-ter corners with rim engaging holding hooks and having base rings incaisr-d in its edges, and an iinperforate cross sectionv ally cylindrical steel shell embedded within the laminated casing body and provided. with curled reinforcing beads at its terminal edges, said reinforcing beads being seated against the base rings, and having their ed ge portions disposed Within the projections forming the holding hooks.

In testimony whereof l 'hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY l l. LEFFEYRTS.

Witnesses:

Aa'rnrm J. MoDEvii'r, v'vnifrnn Mannion. 

